Cast: Om Puri, Linda Bassett, Jimi Mistry, Raji James, Archie Panjabi, Jordan Routledge, Emil Marwa, Chris Bisson, Ian Aspinall
Director: Damien O'Donnell
Producer: Leslee Udwin
Screenplay: Ayub Khan-Din, based on his play
Cinematography: Brian Tufano
Music: Deborah Mollison
U.S. Distributor: Miramax Films
East Is East, the feature debut of Irishman Damien O'Donnell, begins its U.S. theatrical run in the wake of good reviews and positive reaction. Based on the popular British stage play by Ayub Khan-Din (who also wrote the screenplay), East Is East became a film festival hit before being released in its country of origin. At the 1999 Toronto International Film Festival, the movie was so popular that even well-known critics had difficulty obtaining a ticket. Upon its general release in the U.K., East Is East scored with the critics and at the box office, and was subsequently nominated for 6 BAFTAs (including Best Picture and Best Screenplay).
East Is East stars the great Om Puri (last seen as the father in My Son the Fanatic) in another riveting performance. Here, he plays George Khan, a Pakistani immigrant to Salford, Manchester. The year is 1971 and, back in his native country, a war is raging with India. Thousands of miles away, George is trying to instill Pakistani traditions in his six sons and one daughter - a task made difficult by their immersion in English culture and by the fact that their mother (George's second wife), Ella (Linda Bassett), is British. In fact, even though he won't admit it (or perhaps he doesn't realize it), George is a hypocrite. 25 years ago, he left Pakistan to come to England to make his fortune. Instead of bringing his first wife with him, he left her behind and married Ella. Now, the couple operates "George's English Chippy" together, and the first wife is just a source of a gentle ribbing that goes on between them. But, despite his own poor example, George is determined to make his children into good Pakistanis, even if it's physically painful. The problem is that they see themselves as English and are angered by their father's restrictions. So, when George isn't looking, his kids dabble in Catholicism, eat bacon and sausages, and (in the cases of the older boys) fool around with white girls. His daughter, Meena (Archie Panjabi) is a tomboy who likes playing soccer. College student Saleem (Chris Bisson) pretends to be studying engineering when he's actually an art major. Only one of the middle children, Maneer (Emil Marwa), holds Islam in high regard. When Nazir (Ian Aspinall), the eldest son, rejects an arranged marriage at the altar, his father disowns him. But, despite that disaster, George moves forward with plans to marry off Tariq (Jimi Mistry) and Abdul (Raji James) to docile, homely Pakistani girls. Those plans provoke a conflict that threatens the family's already shaky stability.
East Is East is about cultural differences and the difficulties of assimilation. It's about the dangers of losing one's unique identity when leaving behind one country for another. Above all, however, it's about family dynamics, and how children inevitably rebel against their parents' beliefs and traditions - that's how they grow and become independent. The universality of this theme explains East Is East's widespread appeal. It isn't necessary to be an immigrant, or to know immigrants, for the film to work. Everyone who has ever endured a conflict with their parents during adolescence or early adulthood (which is just about everyone) will immediately grasp what lies at the core of this movie. It's also the reason why an Irish-born filmmaker with no previous knowledge of the subject matter can craft such a finely attuned motion picture. Those looking for a cinematic cousin to this film will find it in Fiddler on the Roof, with Topol's Tevye acting and sounding a lot like George.
East Is East enters a dark territory when it deals with abuse. In one particularly wrenching scene, we see George lose his temper and beat both his wife and one of his sons. The incident is presented in a far less graphic manner than similar events in other movies, but it is no less disturbing. To balance out grim sequences like this, the filmmakers have leavened the storyline with moments of comedy, some of which are a little too over-the-top and slapstick-y. The most overt of these, while admittedly funny, seem a little forced, as if O'Donnell and Khan-Din believed the only way to alleviate the tension was to do something so outrageous that the audience would have to laugh. (You'll know it when you see it.)
The most powerful performance belongs to Om Puri, although his character, George, is little more than a one-dimensional monster. As written, this isn't a very interesting person, but Puri invests him with a degree of humanity and a kind of dignity. George is not as well-developed as the abusive fathers in films like Once Were Warriors and The War Zone (to name a couple), but Puri compensates for some of the script's weaknesses. As impressive is Linda Bassett (who can currently be seen as a nurse in Beautiful People), the only actor from the stage play to appear in the film. Bassett captures her character's essential humanity - at times playful, at times shaken, and at times resolute. She loves her husband and children and is torn by the potential of having to side with one against the other.
East Is East ponders a lot of questions, and, as with all well made motion pictures, doesn't offer simple, cut-and-dried answers for any of them. When the movie draws to a close, there is a conclusion, but it's relatively open-ended. In cinematic terms, East Is East offers a more satisfying meal than one might expect to get at George's English Chippy.
© 2000 James Berardinelli